


Day 1: From the Ashes

by delible_ink



Series: Clayleb Week 2019 [1]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Claylebweek2019, M/M, Pre-Relationship, caleb's backstory, clayleb - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-11-04
Packaged: 2021-01-22 21:35:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21308963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/delible_ink/pseuds/delible_ink
Summary: A long day on the road, Caleb and his fire triggers, and a late night watch lead to a sweet moment with tea.For Clayleb Week 2019.Day 1 Prompt: From the Ashes (First Meeting/Early Days)Everything I write for this challenge will be stand alone, so you don't have to have ready any of my other works to get the story. Happy Clayleb Week Everybody!
Relationships: Caduceus Clay/Caleb Widogast
Series: Clayleb Week 2019 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1536221
Comments: 4
Kudos: 75





	Day 1: From the Ashes

“Mr. Caleb? Mr. Caleb?”

The voice broke through a scene on repeat and Caleb followed it, away from the charred remains of his parents, his ruined childhood home. He followed it past the decimated body of the hobgoblin in front of him, flames still licking the edges of its clothing. He kept following, until his eyes landed upon the speaker: Caduceus. The cleric smiled warmly, his expression was soft, and one of his arms was around Caleb’s shoulders.

“You left me for a little while there.Are you  _ here  _ now?”

“Ja. I am. Ja. Danke, Herr Clay.”

“That’s good. Real good. I’m glad to hear it. I think we’d better stick close together, and start heading back. Don’t know if there’s more of them.”

“Let’s hope not. I have had enough fighting today, and it is getting dark.” Caleb stumbled, and he felt his stomach churn when he looked again at the corpse.

“Oh, Careful there. Here. Just lean on me. That’s it. You’ll feel steadier soon.”   
Caduceus cast Decompose, and as mushrooms bloomed from the rapidly disappearing corpse, Caleb exhaled, and turned his focus ahead. Slowly, the two men made their way back to the rest of the party. 

  
“Nott, how’s it look out there?” Fjord called as the goblin crept back to the cart. It had been a long day: the Mighty Nein had already had a bad run in with a pack of wolves, their horses were faltering, and while they preferred not to sleep on the road, it was getting too late to hope for an inn.

“Empty. No villages. Not even a homestead. Looks like it’s camping for us tonight.”

“Better be extra cautious tonight, if we’re staying here.” Caduceus recommended as he joined them, one arm still supporting Caleb. Nott ran to his side immediately. “Caleb! What happened to you? Caduceus, what happened to Caleb?!”

“I am alright,  _ schatz,  _ I am fine.” Caduceus let go of Caleb, as Nott took his place.

“We were attacked by a hobgoblin. Caleb saved our lives. Just had a rough moment afterwards.” 

Beau looked up when Caduceus mentioned Caleb’s  _ moment _ , but relaxed when she saw Nott had it handled.

“Only one?” Jester asked. “Fjord, I’ve still got some spells left, I could go see if there’s more and take ‘em out--”

“No, Jessie, no. Let’s not go lookin’ for trouble, alright?”

“Jester, I will keep watch with you tonight, if it’ll make you feel better.” Yasha offered. “If more hobgoblins show up, we can tear them apart--and you can braid my hair if they don’t.”

“I LOVE that! Yes! We call first watch!”

“I’ll take second” Caduceus added.

“I will join you in that, if you do not mind, Caduceus.”

“I’d like that, Caleb.”

  
  


In long hours of the night, Caduceus breathed deeply, and felt at peace. He loved the cool night air, especially with the promise of a warm cup of tea, and good company to share it with. Watches with Caleb were always nice. Caleb was never bothered when Caduceus just wanted to  _ be  _ somewhere, without speaking. At sea, sometimes they would just sit together in the crow’s nest and listen to the waves, or Caleb would come into the galley after dinner, help with dishes, and then read his book while Caduceus made tea or checked their supplies. They never talked about why. Caduceus didn’t think it was all that complicated. They enjoyed each other’s company, and that was that. 

He wondered about Caleb a lot. A grave digger was not unfamiliar with the marks death leaves on people. He had seen mourners like Caleb, ones who got torn out of the present to revisit the past, never by choice, never for happy reasons. Caduceus thought they had hungry memories. The moment that caused them was so big, it needed to be fed, and the only way it could do that was to take the rememberer back again and again. His mother said that it could heal, but it takes time, and honesty, and love. She said love from outside could fill the memory better than a person reliving it alone, and eventually the memory would be full. It would go to sleep. The pain would still be there, but it would not keep eating the rememberer.

Caduceus wished he could help Caleb with that memory. He didn’t even know what it was, what fire had done that took Caleb so far away, but Caleb never offered more than he had after Felderwin, and that experience had been horrible to witness. Caduceus was not going to put Caleb through more pain. When it came to healing, he was pretty sure that, while Caleb may have had time, honesty and love had been in short supply. Caduceus found he wanted to help with that too.

Across the campfire Caleb was drawing symbols in the earth, clearing them away with his boot, and starting again. He felt restless. It was part of why he offered to take the second watch. He did not particularly want to sleep. He’d watched his parents die enough today, and his mind was a glutton for punishment. He doubted there’d be peace in unconsciousness. Around Caduceus, his mind went a little quiet. It hadn’t always been like that. The man’s perception was uncanny, and the possibility of a mind-reader in their midst made Caleb deeply uneasy. But as time went on, he found that more than anything, Caduceus was a good listener, and he listened when people weren’t speaking, just as well as when they were. He had been afraid someone with Caduceus’ moral compass would see him for the monster he was, but instead, time and time again, Caduceus had offered compassion. He seemed to understand things Caleb couldn’t say, and there was a warmth in his chest whenever he thought about that. 

A flare of sparks pulled Caleb from his train of thought, and he heard Caduceus gasp. Caleb was on his feet in an instant, looking into the fire he saw the tea pot, which had been hanging on the end of Caduceus’ staff, had fallen into the heart of the coals. Before Caduceus could do anything, Caleb knelt, reached into the embers, and pulled the pottery from the flames.

“Caleb, don’t! You’ll burn yourself--” Caduceus put a hand out to stop him as Caleb turned, his hands bathed in blue flame of his own making. He cradled the teapot in his grasp, unscathed.

“I’m alright, Caduceus. Here.” Caleb extinguished his flame and set the pot on the ground in front of them, sitting close to Caduceus. “No harm done.” 

“Thank you Mr. Caleb.” Caduceus breathed, and you would have thought Caleb had just rescued a child from the fire, the way he looked at him. 

“It was no trouble, really.” 

“This pot was my mother’s. She always took it with her when she went wandering in the woods…She left it behind...”  _ when she left me _ , but Caduceus let that thought stay silent. He didn’t need to trouble Caleb.

“Then we will have to take good care of it, ja? Next time, I will build you a spit to hold it, so you do not have to balance on your staff.”

“Thank you. That’s...yeah that would be good.”

Caduceus added his tea to the boiling water, and produced two stone cups. Sharing tea was like a ritual for Caduceus, and Caleb was fascinated by it. Steam and herbaceous aromas rose from the cup as Caduceus handed it over. Caleb’s fingers brushed his own, and they lingered just a moment too long, as if Caleb was trying to say something with his hands that he hadn’t given voice to earlier today. Caduceus smiled shyly, and Caleb looked away. It was difficult to say if there was a blush to Caleb’s cheeks, or just the firelight, but both men smiled into their tea, and thought about the many things that could be rescued from the ashes.


End file.
